MK2 spit wont start?

MK2 spit wont start?

Author
Discussion

OatSy

Original Poster:

1,538 posts

223 months

Wednesday 9th December 2009
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Any Ideas? the fuel pump works, its sparking, compression ok so what can it be?

Steve Brabazon

17 posts

198 months

Thursday 10th December 2009
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Hi,

If the car has not been used for a while the fuel may have gone off.

Steve

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Spitfire2

1,933 posts

193 months

Thursday 10th December 2009
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When was it last running?

Is it a good spark or a little feeble one?

Although ump working is fuel definitely reaching the carb jets - I've seen crimped pipes causing this - both feeding the carbs and on one occasion the pipe between float bowl and jet caused a similar effect.

Is it kicking at all or just turning over with no action.

OK insulting one - is the choke working? My car won't start from cold without it ..... ever.

OatSy

Original Poster:

1,538 posts

223 months

Friday 11th December 2009
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Hi, Car was out on a run and then just went dead ! no warning. spark is good, fuel is getting to the carbs and the fuel is fresh? just wont fire up.

//j17

4,613 posts

230 months

Friday 11th December 2009
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I'd start with an ignition service - plugs, leads, points, condensor, rotor arm, dizzy cap. None of these are going to break the bank and should be replaced from time to time anyway.

It's possible to have a failure in any of these that doesn't show when testing the spark but shows up when the engine moves trying to catch.



Does it just crank over and over or does it try to start and splutter but never catch?

Fork Handles

38,972 posts

254 months

Friday 11th December 2009
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I used to have a mk 4 Spitfire from new.

Once it just cut out at some traffic lights. Turned out to be a hairline crack on the UNDERSIDE of the distributor cap...(You could hardly see it), so the spark was tracking down the plastic.

New cap at £4.95 cured it....Car was only 2 years old at the time.......

OatSy

Original Poster:

1,538 posts

223 months

Friday 11th December 2009
quotequote all
//j17 said:
I'd start with an ignition service - plugs, leads, points, condensor, rotor arm, dizzy cap. None of these are going to break the bank and should be replaced from time to time anyway.

It's possible to have a failure in any of these that doesn't show when testing the spark but shows up when the engine moves trying to catch.



Does it just crank over and over or does it try to start and splutter but never catch?
Car just turns over no cough or splutter, already has new plugs and leads (4 months old) Dizzy cap is fine I don't think it's electrical. I think it's carb related possible air leak but don't know how to check.

Steve Brabazon

17 posts

198 months

Friday 11th December 2009
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Hi,

I would have thought that even if you had an air leak, there would still be some signs of it trying to fire up.

I think I would now change these in the following order, rotor arm, dizzy cap (just to eliminate it as being the cause), condenser, coil.

Steve

chard

27,513 posts

190 months

Saturday 12th December 2009
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After cranking are the plugs wet? If so fuel is getting through.

I'm with Steve sounds like ignition.

purpleperil

1,214 posts

291 months

Saturday 12th December 2009
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When my MKI Spit4 broke down in a similar fashion it turned out to be a LT wire to the distributor. Worth a check - very simple and quick fix smile

cpas

1,661 posts

247 months

Sunday 13th December 2009
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Condenser. Very simple item, but often overlooked! Car will still show a spark when doing a 'turnover' test, but will play havoc with it starting.

//j17

4,613 posts

230 months

Tuesday 15th December 2009
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I'd say it sounds electrical.

Unless you are getting next to no fuel you will get the odd cough and splutter - fuel+oxygen+spark=burn.

At the moment I'd join cpas pointing fingers at the condensor.

Never underestimate just how crap some of the replacement electrical parts on the market at the moment are either. Try swapping back to the old ones (unless changed because they were dead of course).

chard

27,513 posts

190 months

Friday 18th December 2009
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Did you start it?? What was the problem?

OatSy

Original Poster:

1,538 posts

223 months

Thursday 14th January 2010
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Still not started, but the problem is fuel, none getting past the carbs, plugs never get wet. so having the carbs re-furbished.